No comments about British Columbia South (Calgary to Vancouver) Map by ITMB.

1 comments about Victoria and Vancouver Island, 6th: A Personal Tour of an Almost Perfect Eden (Hill Guides Series).

1. The author's smugness is nauseating. It it distracting to try to read about travel destinations only to have the author go on and on about how extreemly wonderful and superior the "Victorians" are.
   
   On the other hand, this book has an immense amount of info, including history and culture as well as basic travel info. I am happy to see rough price estimates for the restaurants which is very helpful. It has info on every little shop, and even recipes, if one can get past the overbearing writing style.

1 comments about BC Coastal Recreation Kayaking and Small Boat Atlas: Volume 2, British Columbia's West Vancouver Island.

1. John Kimantas had enough research and insight to break up the West Coast region of Canada into a three volume set (known as the 'Wild Coast Series') and offer detail never before seen of one of the finest kayak destinations in the world. With the almost-overnight success this series, I was eager for the chance to check out his next venture - the BC Atlas series that accompany the books.
   
   Note: Perhaps as a testament to their popularity, both the books and atlases have been difficult items to keep in stock. It would ultimately keep me waiting for almost six weeks to obtain my Atlas.
   
   I purchased Volume II which covers the entire West coast of Vancouver Island. The quality of the production is top notch: 51 water-repellent laminate pages including a 'splash proof' outer book-cover definitely made me feel like I received my money's worth (I paid $26.00 at Amazon, compared to the List price of $40.00). Each page is in full and rich color with photos included of noteworthy sites and locations. As described, the maps offer useful information specific to kayakers that you would not normally find on any chart - campsites, anchorages, launches, wildlife viewing/nesting areas, trails, ruins, intertidal areas, navigation markers and call-in points. In addition, these maps are littered with interesting tidbits, such as 'exceptional sand island; may be surf', 'recommended kayaking' areas, and 'potentially dangerous turbulence off the Point', etc. Information you would hope to have on hand before planning your visit the area. It would have been nice if he elaborated more detail with regards to First Nation Heritage sites - such as known fish traps, clam beds, middens and such.
   
   My biggest issue with this product is the scale - 1:100,000 when compared to the Canadian Hydrographic Charts of 1:40,000. Granted, trying to keep in scale with the Hydro-charts would almost triple the size of the atlas (as well as the cost). The Hydrographic charts do offer more lush topographical detail and professional appearance. I compare it to the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer Series.... great resource, but when you are at the trailhead, you are better served with a good old topomap.
   
   That said, I think Kimantas does every serious kayaker a service by offering a powerful set of resources for everyone to use. His work alone, renders most other guide publications of the same area obsolete. These are excellent tools for planning your next trip and I am pleased to have access to them. I would consider using a BC atlas for shorter trips. But for the extended excursions, you still cannot go wrong with a good old Hydrographic Chart.

5 comments about City of Glass: Doug Coupland's Vancouver.

1. This is my homesick book, my security blanket, my Postcards from Home.

   For Vancouverites, it's a source of boosterist pride, a good chuckle at some in-jokes, and perhaps enlightenment on why things are as they are. For people who have moved away, it's a book of memories, recollections of a city of glass and the people who make it. For people who have never been there, it's the tourist guide that talks about things the Lonely Planet won't. It's like having Mr Coupland sitting next to you as you make your way through our city. It's probably as close to an autobiography as he's ever written. The mark of Vancouver is on him as it's on me, and on everyone else who was raised there.

   Yeah, I love my hometown.




2. Sure, it's only one person's view of Vancouver. But at least it's Douglas Coupland's view. In "City of Glass," the author of "All Families Are Psychotic" and "Generation X" strays from fiction to write about his home city. The result is a subdued love ode to Vancouver, peppered with photographs.
   
   Coupland describes Vancouver with many page-long vignettes, sort of like a patchwork quilt: he describes feng shui in Vancouver, Japanese teenagers, a harbour full of sulfur piles, American couples on "love boats," monstrous houses, and the quiet detachment that Vancouver feels from the Rest of Canada. (Which has its own entry -- really!)
   
   Coupland's fiction is generally distinguishable for its contemplative, cynically witty tones. But he drops all that for "City of Glass." Okay, there is a chunk of "Life After God" in the middle, blurry text and pics. And occasionally the transcripts of Coupland's memories remind one of his fiction, seeming sadder and darker.
   
   Most of the time, he sounds fond and reminiscent, as if reliving the memories that come with salmon and fleece. Not to mention funny, such as when describing the confusing disagreements about feng shui (" this space should flowwwwww" or "flow is to be avoided at all costs"). And the photographs are quite good as well, with Coupland taking pictures of the prosaic subjects of his book -- a sleepy-looking Japanese teen, a fleece vest, a boat floating out on a light-filled harbor, a skiier in mid-twist on a sunlit hillside.
   
   "City of Glass" isn't exactly going to make you race to Vancouver, but it will make you appreciate the little hidden facets of the city -- and perhaps make you notice the ones in your own.



3. I've lived in Vancouver for two years and visited it regularly for several years previously. I bought this book when I was still new to the city, hoping for a companion to the city with at least a little bit of content. I was attracted by the title and cover art, as I like the glassy Vancouver skyline and thought maybe the author appreciates the same things about the atmosphere of Vancouver that I do.
   
   Unfortunately, this is one of those books where the amount of content fit for an article in, say, the Georgia Straight or the Seattle Weekly, is blown up to the size (and price) of a book. The pages are mostly white space, with one or two paragraphs of large text in the middle that touch very briefly and vaguely upon some random topic, as if the author jotted this all down one night and didn't put much thought into it.
   
   The book also contains photographs which, rather than being an insider's look at Vancouver, could be photographs of any city out of any tourist magazine--the typical closeups of food on a plate at a nameless restaurant, or a house that could exist anywhere in North America.
   
   Because the text of this book is the length of an article, only blown up to look like a book, you could walk into a bookstore or library and read it pretty quickly (five or ten minutes). The only reason to purchase it would be if you absolutely must own every single book by Douglas Coupland, or every single book about Vancouver.
   
   I learned nothing from this book that I didn't already know about Vancouver after visiting it a few times, and it left me wanting to read a book about Vancouver that might tell me something I don't know.



4. Vancouver is great city (at least for a few dry months) and deserve a good book for the visitors. This book meets my needs and is not the typical guide book with maps and names and addresses. But for those who try to get a sense of the pulse of the city, it's character and quirks, I would recommend.
   
   After reading others', suspect that my copy (recently bought) has the insert that others don't. "My Hotel Year" was a wonderful read, and for those who remember the 60's bohemian Haight Ashbury, there is an echo DC evoked at the human level here that still resonates. "Van" is "San Fran" was, with more flowers and no jobs, at least the kinds you can build wealth. Ob-La-Di! Ob-La-Da!



5. A humorous, personal portrait of a gorgeous and quirky city. Coupland's narration is funny and dead on. The photos are generally quite good and go a long way toward capturing the mood of the place. He also plugs a lot of little known facts -- like about Greenpeace -- that Yankies like myself were not aware of.
   
   I hope he does a follow up book.

No comments about The Essential Vancouver Island Outdoor Recreation Guide.

1 comments about Exploring the South Coast of British Columbia: Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound to Broughton Archipelago and Blunden Harbour, 2nd Ed..

1. If you are planning a cruise South Coast BC (Gulf Islands, Desolation, Broughtons and Blundon Harbour) this book is a must. For frame of reference: My husband and I cruise on a small sailboat, anchor every evening (meaning we do not pull to dock) and go ashore to reprovision, sightsee, launder and take warm showers. Our trips are usually 2 months or less in length.
   
   OK, so we have used several different books to cruise this area and have found ourselves referring to and trusting this one the most. If I had cruise with one book only, this would be it. The book's chapters are organized by logical, small area cruising grounds. The author gives an overview of the area and then segments out the waterways, coves, anchorages, etc. He tells you where they are (referring to other land, water points, charts and waypoints) and will also give waypoints for important things like entrances and anchoring. From there the author talks about the area in general, protection from winds, the bottom, what is there and how to best explore it, how the regulars anchor, on and on. He also provides VERY detailed maps for each area including, but not limited to fathoms, ground characteristics, anchoring notations... he also provides wonderfully detailed maps/information on marinas (piers, fuel dock, offices and their phone and monitored VHF numbers, dink dock restrooms, garbage, the pub!...), town info., boat/engine services, and the like. Each section also includes information on special things to note like rapids (characteristics and how to deal with them), traversing difficult waterways, tidal issues (like drying entrances to anchorages), and where his reader might likely spy a pod of orcas. The book is extremely accurate. If he does not know something (like what the holding is in an anchorage) he will tell you. I have only found one relatively minor mistake in the book and that was on a map for Broughton Island.
   
   Back of the book items cover the usual info. on border crossing, VHF radio channel info. (Also found this a little outdated - but to be fair there are changes ongoing), fishing regs., and how they document local knowledge (made us confident that their onfo. was reliable - and it was).
   
   Somewhere in the book there is a notation of a website you can go to with any updates or corrections.
   
   So, lots of useful information, lots of historical and quirk information, easy book to use, well thought out and thorough. The ONLY negatives I can come up with is the lovely pictures could be in color, it could be spiral bound (which is easier to deal with when you are glancing at it from the helm and making last minute anchorage changes), and it could be fitted to deal with moist and downright wet conditions. That is merely a nit-picky little wish list!

No comments about Frommer's Vancouver with Kids.

No comments about Zagat Best of Vancouver 2007/08: Including Victoria, Vancouver Island & Whistler (Zagat Survey).

3 comments about Hidden British Columbia: Including Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler (Hidden Travel).

1. We just returned from a trip to BC where we used this book in conjunction with others. Some of the information is useful, but time and time again we were disappointed, especially in the area of lodging. Several B&Bs and Lodges that were given very positive reviews were either very ordinary, motelish or were just plain dreadful. There is a good reason why these are hidden, and should remain so.



2. This book was wonderful -- we did a trip along the Yellowhead using it to direct us to lodging and the "hidden" best places -- and the only time we went wrong on our trip was when we didn't consult the book. We're planning another trip this year, because we didn't get to all the places the book directed us to.

   BTW -- Louise's Kitchen in Smithers has what may arguably be the best food in Western Canada!




3. Take a vacation and blend in some active sports or activities and you have an 'adventure getaway' of the type Ulysses Press specializes in - and one out of the ordinary, as its 'Hidden' series covers. Websites, walking tours, scenic drives, and both weekend and extended getaways are covered in Hidden British Columbia, which specializes in byways and lesser-known attractions and which deserves ongoing recommendation as a top travel choice for the region. From Fan Tan Alley, Canada's narrowest street, to tiny cafes, Hidden British Columbia provides a quality travel experience to any heading to the region, and makes for a perfect tote as well as a at-home planner.

No comments about The Wild Coast 3: A Kayaking, Hiking and Recreation Guide for BC's South Coast and East Vancouver Island (The Wild Coast).